Day 5 – Chobe National Park

Male Sable Antelope

One of the apparent dead trees

           We have an early breakfast, which started well with Sinead entertaining the waiters and them entertaining her with peek-a-boos’ allowing us to have breakfast in peace We finally get away at 07h30 for a day in the park at a cost of P410

 (+/-R500) we get the whole day and multiple entries if we need them, the park is very dry and there are a lot of dead trees and we travel alongside the Chobe River sighting Elephant, Buffalo, Impala, Waterbuck, Zebra, Sable, Mongoose, Squirrels, Crocodile, Hippo, Warthog, Vultures, Martial Eagle and many other species of birdlife and I might add some birds renamed by Claudia like King Eagle (Fish Eagle), Hoopbill (Hornbill). No luck with Lion, Cheetah or Leopard, but we have plenty of time to see these and others.

We spend a lot of time watching some elephant who are standing guard on what appears to be two dead elephants, then another one drops to the ground, we could have left and told the gate there are three dead elephants down the Bushbuck road when suddenly the two we first thought were dead roll over and get up and we thought elephants do not lie down, to our surprise we see another even larger elephant in another herd lying down, bang goes that theory.

Elephant in the middle having a midday siesta

Just when I said we had learned a lot from driving in sand and we hit a particularly bad stretch and the car bottoms out with Denise at the wheel this time, and we dig ourselves in, fortune smiled on us and we get towed out by a couple of guys part of a tour company who were very grateful for a couple of cold drinks and a few Pula. Will post pictures the next opportunity.

We head off down Route 15 according to our map end up in a herd of elephant with several young and have to wait patiently until they had no further interest in us and as we pass a young one decides to show us whose park we are in and gives us a mock charge, but we are well on our way. We suddenly hit a tar road and find we are on an access road only for the use of Park Officials and the Botswana Defence Force, ignorance is bliss.

Claudia is off on a River cruise from 15h00 to 18h00 and we are baby sitting. Tomorrow we are off to Livingstone and Victoria Falls where we spend two days, before we head off to Lusaka and on to South Luangwa Game Park, not sure when we are able to post our blogs, but all is well.